PENTAGON TO SEEK LARGE BUDGET INCREASE.(Reuters) - The Pentagon is preparing to launch a campaign for an increase in the range of $20 billion or more in its 2003 budget, the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times reported Sunday on its Web site. Senior military officials told the paper the Pentagon plans to argue that it will need significantly more money to cover rising health care costs, stockpile stock·pile n. A supply stored for future use, usually carefully accrued and maintained. tr.v. stock·piled, stock·pil·ing, stock·piles To accumulate and maintain a supply of for future use. precision-guided munitions A weapon that uses a seeker to detect electromagnetic energy reflected from a target or reference point and, through processing, provides guidance commands to a control system that guides the weapon to the target. Also called PGM. See also munitions. and accelerate a number big-ticket programs. Even as Congress is projecting a budget deficit next year, Pentagon officials will make their case with confidence that the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan has strengthened congressional and public support for rebuilding the armed services The Constitution authorizes Congress to raise, support, and regulate armed services for the national defense. The President of the United States is commander in chief of all the branches of the services and has ultimate control over most military matters. , the Times said. "There is a real necessity to do something we didn't really address in the last budget, which is ramp up Ramp Up To increase a company's operations in anticipation of increased demand. Notes: A company might 'ramp up' operations if they just signed a contract creating substantially more demand for their product. See also: Demand, Economies of Scale procurement," Under Secretary of Defense Dov Zakheim, the Pentagon comptroller told the paper. "It's got to go up." The newspaper reported that U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was expected to argue that the armed services must stockpile laser- and satellite- guided weapons for future conflicts and develop munitions mu·ni·tion n. War materiel, especially weapons and ammunition. Often used in the plural. tr.v. mu·ni·tioned, mu·ni·tion·ing, mu·ni·tions To supply with munitions. that can penetrate caves and hardened, underground bunkers. Citing unnamed officials, the report said Rumsfeld would also push for accelerating a program to convert Trident submarines, now armed with nuclear-tipped missiles, so they can instead carry missiles with conventional warheads. The newspaper said Zakheim declined to say how much of an increase the Pentagon would seek in its 2003 budget. However, it reported that other senior military and Congressional officials have said the increase will be about $20 billion over the current $329 billion budget, or about 6 percent, after adjusting for inflation. The report said the proposed increase will not cover the costs of the campaign in Afghanistan or new homeland defense measures, which are financed by $17.5 billion in emergency funds allocated by Congress after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . But Zakheim told the paper the Pentagon would need another major infusion of emergency money by late winter because the cost of the war, an estimated $2 billion a month, is not expected to decrease soon. "I don't see much tailing off yet," Zakheim told the newspaper. |
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